Great Career Paths for International Relations Graduates

International Relations has always been a popular choice for students, despite it not leading to an obvious career. If you study law, you are on the path to becoming a lawyer. Accounting graduates usually become an accountant. But, there isn’t such an obvious route for graduates of an international relations degree. This shouldn’t put you off, it just means you have more varied options and many great ways you can put the skills gained during your international relations masters degree to use. Here is a look at a few paths you could take upon graduation.

Politics

A huge amount of politics is about our relationships with other countries. A degree in international relations would give you a great starting block for many political careers. You’d have a fantastic understanding of foreign languages, cultures, laws, and economics, which would be exceptionally useful as global events continue to impact our way of life more than ever.

Diplomacy

A diplomat travels to other countries to represent their home country and protect its rights while communicating with both sets of governments. This can involve anything from trade deals to politics and human rights. Diplomats and their families often move to a different country for a few years to work closely with their host nation. A degree in international relations would give you the skills needed to build up great working relationships, while always doing what’s right for your home country.

International Business

Working for an international business, either living and working for them abroad or representing them at home, means you need a thorough understanding of international law, economy, and trade. You may also need to speak different languages and you will certainly need the skills needed to look beyond differences of culture and build great working relationships. An international affairs masters would help you to gain all of these skills. As trade continues to grow and more foreign companies look to do well in America, this is a great career path to consider.

Non-Profit

Non-profit organizations such as World Vision or The Red Cross are always on the lookout for talented graduates to help them find ways to improve the lives of others. Working for a non-profit, you would use your skills to improve welfare on an international level. You would get the chance to travel and really make a difference to different cultures all over the world in a very hands-on way.

Intelligence

Intelligence specialists work for the government, military, and state departments. They are responsible for collecting data and intelligence vital to operations. They analyze this data, build mission reports and plans, evaluate results and prepare reports, pass information on by deciding where it is needed, and keep intelligence databases maintained and up to date. This is a vital role, which requires a great knowledge of international affairs and can be the difference between the success and failure of important military missions.

To succeed in any career in international relations, you will need excellent communication skills, fantastic levels of organizational ability, and great language skills, all of which you will build up while studying your degree.